Vacuum cleaner



Oct. 16, 1923.

' .N. A. THROOP VACUUM CLEANER.

Filed March 11, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR. JIM-MM Q ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 16, 1923. 1,470,894

' N. A. THROOP VACUUM CLEANER Filed March 11, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 :5, I. i. \7 M04 1.1; w ATTORNEYS. I W( "retested-oer. 16, less Neutrons. Tumor, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VACUUM CLEANER.

Application filed use 11, 1920. Serial No. 365,036.

T 0 all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, NEWTON A. THROOP,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vacuum Cleaners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de-- scri tion.

lV y invention relates to improvements in .vacuum cleaners and particularly to such type of cleaners as employ both the inrush of the airand a brush to cleanse rugs, carpets and other surfaces over which it sweeps. I

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a flathrush that can dig into and beat the surface of the material being cleansed at the sametime it sweeps or it can be adjusted to just lightly lift the dirt therefrom; second, that can hold down the carpet or run while sweeping so tha-tit will not become choked, and so that the inrush of air into the nozzle of the cleaner will not be obhereinafter described and asstructed, third, so that the lighter dust and dirt can be lifted and at the same time the brush be depended upon to beat and-loosen the more tenaciously adhering particles of dirt and the same; fourth. to use the air vacuum and brush in conjunction with a heater, and fifth, that can be used in conjunction with means for adjusting the volume of the inrush of air into the nozzleof the cleaner. These and other objects I accomplish by the means particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side View of my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the front portion of the same. Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on dotted line 3, 3, Figure 1, showing parts of the partition separating the exclusive air intake-p-assage from the combined air intake and sweeping chamber thereof, so as to; expose the mechanism in the latter.

Figure 4 is a perspective View of the brush removed from said cleaner.

Figure 5. is a perspective View of the means forholding down the carpet, removed from the cleaner.

dust and facilitate the removal of jdrawnby the operation of the vacuum creat-' ing device, pro ects out in front of the dome,

or other chamber in which said devices are situated, and has the front partof its top 7 curved downward, terminating in a straight transverse front edge. This front edge constitutes the front edge of the transversely elongated mouth of the airinletpassage 9, which is preferably wider than the housing immediately back of said mouth, The rear wall of the inlet-passage extends from the rear edge 8 of the mouth and said passage gradually narrows and its walls are cast in one piece with the top wall of the housing, as it, the said passage, extends centrally and longitudinally to the rear and discharges into the fan or vacuum chamber 10 of the sweeper.

Immediately back of the mouth of the air in ct the housing is so constructed as to provide a substantially rectangular chainber 12 in which the brush of my improved sweeper is placed. This brush consistsof a back 13 that is, preferably, of atransverscly elongated rectangular shape, substantially as shown in Figures 3 and 4: of the drawings. This brush has several rows 14, 14, of brush fibers that are arranged obliquely across and project downwardly from the underside of the back, at suitable distances apart, and so a stretches thereof are in ahorizontal plane just above the lower ends of the brush fibers.

When the brush is in actionv these heaters beat the fabric, and materially assist in cleansing the same. I

This brush is placed in chamber 12 so that its length is transverse to the path of the vacuum cleaner and its ends are suspended by links 16, 16, from the forward ends of the adjustable supporting-frames 17. These supporting-frames consist of longitudinal bars whose rear ends are p votally connected at their rear ends in any suitable manner to the sidewalls of chamber 12, and the forward ends of said frames 17, arecapable of being adjusted up or down and maintained in their adjusted osition by manipulating set-screws 15, t at extend out through segmental slots, 18,.

the curvature ofwhich is'struck from the center of the pivot of the rear end of the supporting-frame in the side walls of said -chainber 12, and areprovided with a milled mental shield 19 that is" designed to close the slots 18, so as to prevent the suction a said chamber 12.

the fan-shaft. r

- sweeping the a y f other words the sweeping' at this brush willi'always be to, 45

through the slot interiering with the inrush-- in air current through theopen bottom of The brush is reciprocated side'wise to-. wards and from the front of the housing by means of conhecting-rods 20, whose rear ends are pivotally connected to the cranks 21 of a crank-shaft 22,;the ends of which latter are journaledinthe side-walls of the housing immediately to the rear of the point where the housing is narrowed to define the rearwall of chamber 12. Near one end shaft 22 is provided with-a concavedtsheave 234' which is connected preferably, by means of an elastic belt 24, to a sheave 25, ,which lat ter derives motion in any suitable manner by drive-shaft 26 that takes itsmotion from The operation of the: v durin its rearward motion, t digsfidown'i into the, nap of the rug or carpet' which itn .is sweeping and loosens the sameandsweepsf the dust and dirt to thifrear, .but, when, the

brush is moving toward the front of" the housin the rearend of the connecting/rods 2O will be liftedby an extent that said of the carpet or {1 311 the cranks 2 1gto'su brush willbeglifte f'o'fli r i ea t th row; as.

plished by ards' the rear.

e distance between 1 In order t 'regulatgit the edges of? he "'gth sage and the lower edges of chamberil2; from the surtaceof the'carpet or rug thht being swept, and to hold the carpet or rug downa suflicient distance below such edges,

a series of equi-distant longitudinal disposed runners 27 are provided, the forward ends of Which extend through recesses in. the lower edge of the rear wall of the mouth of the air inlet-passage and terminate in shoes 28. These shoes are curved upwards so that when said runners have been lifted to the limit of their upward movement they will have retreated up into the mouth of the air inlet-passage out of the way. Immediately to the rear of the rear wall of the mouth of the air-inlet these runners, 27, are

connected by a cross-bar 29; The outer runners extend to the rear of this cross-bar and their rear ends are connected with or mergeinto the lower ends of the outer branches 3 of inverted U-shaped frames 30, 30.- The lower ends of the inner branches of these frames are connected by a; transverse strip of metal 31, and it. is in the space between this strip and cross-bar 29 that the brush operates. Wheels 32, 32, are loosely mounted .ontransverse shafts 33, between the branches or legs of'the inverted U-frames 30, 30, and the ends of such shafts 33, ex-

tend out through vertical slots '34 in the side-walls of the housing, and enter suitan outwardly projecting pin 37, that enters and engages a,curved slot38 in a cam 39,

able elongated openings in the forward ends fl of correspondingly curved arms 35, 35, that a which latter is pivotally' connected to thei adj acent side walls of the' rear extension of the housing of" the vacuum cleaner. This I the underside of sai armhas a spring concam, has a rearwardly 'exte'nding arm 40 and trolled pawl 41" fulcrumed thereto. Pawl 41 is adapted'to engage a segmental rack'42 secured to; and made integral with the jadjacent' sideof theshousing. The slot 38 is fisstruck from a center eccentric to the ful bruh imh;,j;h9,tf,crum of the cam, so that when the foot of the/ioperator'is pressed down upon arm 40, the wheelsf 32, 32, and runners 27,, 27',' will inner surface of chamber with suitable spaced apart-vertical ribs 51, 51, and thus insurefthe runners always remaining in a fine-air inletp'as lowered. r i,

portiompfithe bottom of the inlet-. s passage Q-extending to the 'rear of the verl tical transverse lane of shaft 22,.c0mprises a damper 43, w ich consists of a flat hori-. zontal plate, the forward edge'of which is hinged to the rear edge of said bottom by the transverse pintle 44 of a suitable-hinge. This pintle 44 extends beyond the side walls of the housing and has a suitable button 45 on its outer end with which to turn it. The chamber 12 below the shaft 22 has a bottom 46 that has an upwardly and rearwardly curved extension 47 which latter had its upper rear edge suitably connected to the bottom of the vacuum chamber, and this bot tom 46 and its extension form a dust pain, as it were, that directs the sweepings of the be" aised,,-and the vacuum cleaner lowered,

cordingl 'as'desired, to decrease the cir-Q' latio n' o air at Jthemouth of the air inletpassag"e' and intq the open bottom of thefi brush chamber 12.

p The outer legs of ,the U-shap,e d frames e'navfod; gagenguideways made by providing the brush up through the opening covered by a e-vases when it is closed,- rests upon the transshoes 54,- the under joinder of extension 47.

verse ridge or prominence made by the When the damper closed the dust or dbris will not be drawn into the vacuum chamber of the cleaner, but when said damper is open said dust and dbris will be swept up through the opening controlled by! the damper, into the vacuum chamber,

and at the same time the suction through the inlet-passage 9 will draw the loose dust up into and-through it to said chamber. a

If desired the'ends of the cross-bar 29 may extend beyond the outside runner- 27 and then bent downwards to form elbows 53, the lower extremities of, which are formed into forwardly projecting flanking edges of which are slightly lower than the under edges of shoes 28, and thus always insure a certain inrush of air into the air inlet, no matter to what position the shoes 28 may be adjusted, substantially as shown in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings.

What I claim as new is: 1. In a vacuum cleaner, mechanism for creating a vacuum, a brush reciprocal in the direction of the movement of the cleaner independently of the frame of the same which sweeps the surface being cleaned when moving in one direct-ion and is lifted therefrom when moving in the opposite direction and means actuated by said mechanism for reciprocating and raising said 35 b rush.

2. The combination with a vacuum cleaner including mechanism for creating a vacuum carried on a frame, of means for sweeping comprising a brush reciprocating independently of said cleaner frame but in a path c0- incident with the path of'movement of the cleaner; said brush having a sweeping action diagonal to the path of travel of the cleaner,

and means for imparting vertical movement to the brush simultaneously with reciprocation in one direction only.

3. In a vacuum cleaner, a housing having an inlet-passage for the production of air suction only, a sweeping chamber separate from and having suction independently of said passage but adjacent thereto, a vacuum chamber into which both said passage and sweeping chamber independently discharge,

a reciprocal brush operating in said sweeping chamber, and means for controlling the suction to said sweeping chamber and inletpassage.

4. In a vacuum cleaner, a housing having an air, inlet-passage for-the products of air suction only, having an inlet separate from but adjacent to said passage, a vacuum chamber into which both said passage and said sweeping chamber independently discharge, and a series of vertically adjustable longitudinally disposed runners for regulating the distance between the underside of said cleaner and the supporting surface of the same to control the inrush of air into said. passage and sweeping chamber.

5. In a vacuum cleaner, a housing having an air inlet-passage for the products of air suction only, a separate sweeping chamber, a vacuum chamber into which both said passage and said sweeping chamber discharge, and a series of longitudinally dis posed runn rs extending forward from said sweeping c amber into said"inlet-passage and terminating therein and devices for adjusting said runners up ordown to regulate the distance between the underside of said cleaner and the supporting surface of the same.

6. Ina vacuum cleaner, a housing having an'air inlet-passage for the products of air suction only, a separate sweeping chamber, a vacuum chamber into which both said passage and said sweeping chamber discharge, and a series of longitudinally disposed runners extending forward from the sweeping chamber through recesses in the rear edge ofthe mouth of said air' inletpassage and terminating in upwardly curved shoes in said passage, and devices for adjusting said runners up or down-to re late the distance between the underside 0 said cleaner and the supporting surface of the same.

7. In a vacuum cleaner, a housing having an air inlet-passage for the products of air suction only, a separate sweeping chamber, a vacuum chamber into which both said passage and said sweeping chamber discharge, and a series of longitudinally disposed runners, a transverse member in said sweeping chamber to which the rear ends of said runners are secured and means for moving said runners up and down for regulating the distance between the underside of said cleaner and the supporting surface of the same.

'8. In a vacuum cleaner, a housing having an airinlet-passage for the products of air "adapted to move said member and runners up and down to regulate the distance between the underside of said cleaner and the supporting surface of the same.

'9. In a vacuum cleaner, a housing having an air inlet-passage for the products of air suctiononly, a separate sweeping chamber, a vacuum chamber into which both said passage and said sweeping chamber discharge,- and a series of longitudinally disposed runporting. surface of the same;

10. In a vacuu m cleaner, a housing having an air inlet-passage for the productsof a r suction only','a separate sweep ng chamber,

a vacuum chamber into which both said pas,

v sage and said sweeping chamber discharge,

and a series of longitudinally disposed runners, a transverse member within said sweepingichamber to which runners are se- "the underside of said cured, and which has its ends projecting out 1' through slots in the side-walls of said chamher on the free ends of said member castors within said chamber for supporting the same, and means engaging the said ends adapted to move saidmember and runners up or down to regulate the distance between porting surface of the same.

11. In a vacuumcleaner, the combination with a vacuum chamber, of a reciprocating l brush. v

brush, wholly within the chamber, means for suspending the brush from one'point in said chamber and at another point at the rear thereof, and means for reciprocating the -12. In a vacuum cleanen thecombination with a vacuum chambergofla reciprocating brush,'a swinging support at both front and rear for suspending'theqibrush, and means v for reciprocating saidbriish.

Ina vacuum cl'aner, the combination with,ahousingdiaving an inlet passage for the products' 'ofair'suction-only',and a separate chamber located; to the ,rear of, the

month of said/passag'e of a non-rotatable brush .in saidcliainber, means for. suspending the same, a transverseshaft having/a crank, ca rod conrgecting said crank and brush, anrha plurality-of longitudinally dis-- posed runners extending forward from said hahibe under: said ,biush into. the moutl of tz In a vacuum cleaner, th e combination I with" ahousing liaving an5jnlet-passage for the products of air suction only,land a sepa rate chamber located to the rear mouth" of said passage, of a noxFrbtatable brush in said chamber, meansforsuspeiidof the ing the sameya transverse shaft-having'a crank, a rod connecting said crank andbrush, and a plurality of vertically adjustable longitudinally disposed runners extending forward from said chamber under said brush into the mouth of said inlet-passage.

15. Ina vacuum cleaner, a vacuum cham her, a reciprocal brush means for actuating said brush to sweep the surface being cleansed in the direction of the movement cleanergand the -sup- I are attached to the sides of said brush and the cleaner, when moving in one direc said brush to sweep the surface being.

cleansed in the direction of ,the movement of the chamber, when moving in one direction and for lifting said brush therefrom when moving in the opposite direction, and .resilient'beaters attached to said brush that engage said surface during the operation 'of the same.

17. In a vacuum cleaner, a vacuum chaiuber, a reciprocal brush, means for actuating said brush to sweep the surface being cleansed in" the direction of the movement of the cleaner,

when moving in the opposite direction, and resilient U-shaped heaters the ends of which the products of air suction only, and a separate chamber located to the rear oft the mouth of said passage, of a non-rotatable brush in said chamber, verticallyadjustable meansfor suspending the same, a transverse shaft having a crank and a rod connectingsaid/crank and brush. I

v 20. In a vacuum cleaner having vacuum and sweeping chambers, a non-rotatable sweeping chamber, acrank shaft, and means rigidly connected to the brush 'and to said crankshaft;

21. In a vacuum cleaner having vacuum and sweeping ch a rnbers, a non-rotatable iibrgsh inthesweeping chamber, a link suspending said ,brush within said sweeping chamber, 'a crank'shaft, and a connectin rod rigidly connected to said brush an operated by said crank-shaft.

22. In a vacuum cleaner, :1. housing having an air-inlet passage for the products of air suction only and provided with a mouth engaging the surface to be cleaned, a separate sweeping chamber adjacent said mouth but having an independent inlet, a

/ when moving in one direction and for lifting said brush-therefrom having an inlet-passage:

. brush in the sweeping chamber, a ioc-kinglinlc for suspending the brush within said.

vacuum chamber into which both said pasmy hand and seal this 1st day of March, age and said sweeping chamber independ- 1920. ently discharge and means adjacent said 7 month and sweeping chamber for Varying Y THROOP' 6 the distance between the same and said sur- Witnesses.

face. FRANK D. THQMASQN;

In WItIIGSSWhBIGOf' I have hereunto set VIOLET WARDEnn. 

